How well is your cardiometabolic health?
The two most common causes of death in the US are heart attack and stroke, both types of cardiovascular disease. Risk factors include a family history of cardiovascular disease, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Excess weight raises the probability that several of these risk factors will emerge.
Do you have optimal cardiovascular health? And have you minimised your risk factors for getting cardiovascular disease in the future? Sadly, research indicates that few Americans can affirmatively respond to these questions.
What is cardiometabolic health?
Your cardiovascular system includes your heart, blood, and blood vessels. Cardiometabolic health is a term that refers to a combination of many of these risk factors. To estimate how many people in the US have optimal cardiometabolic health, researchers published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reviewed survey results from more than 55,000 adults in the US. Optimal measurements were defined as all five of the following:
Normal blood sugar (without taking medicine to lower blood sugar).
Ideal cholestotal level (without taking cholesterol-lowering drugs).
normal blood pressure (without taking drugs to decrease blood pressure)
There was no evidence of cardiovascular illness, such as a prior heart attack or stroke.
The results are in—and they are eye-opening.
The study indicated that, as of 2018, just 6.8% of the US population had excellent cardiometabolic health. That’s less than one out of every 14 people!
The researchers also observed that:
Optimal cardiometabolic health rates are declining. While 6.8% of the population achieved optimum cardiometabolic health in 2018, the rate was 7.7% in 2000 and 8.4% in 2004.
Excess weight and increased blood sugar are the primary factors. Between 2000 and 2018, the proportion of people with optimal body weight declined from 34% to 24%, while those with normal blood sugar levels fell from 59% to 37%.
Health disparities are considerable. For example, lower cardiometabolic health was more likely among those who were nonwhite, male, impoverished, less educated, or older. This may reflect social determinants of health, such as where people live and work.
These data were taken before the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is evidence that physical activity was reduced and harmful habits rose during pandemic lockdowns.
Interspersed among the negative news are some encouraging developments regarding cardiometabolic health.
Despite being disappointing, the findings of this current study revealed some encouraging news.
From around 30% of the population in 2000 to 37% in 2018, the proportion of people with optimal cholesterol levels increased.
Many patients in the study had average (not poor) cardiometabolic status. They may require just minimal adjustments to enter the optimal group.
What steps can be taken to improve your cardiometabolic health score?
It is natural to grow disheartened when studies reveal that Americans are failing health standards and that health inequities exist between different communities. But this might also be a call to action for the individual. Avoiding a heart attack or stroke seems like a worthwhile endeavour.
Consider your cardiovascular and metabolic wellness. Could it be improved? Taking small, doable steps and talking to your doctor about your goals can help you reach them.
- Check your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. If they aren't within a desirable range, find out what steps you can take to make them better. Exercising regularly, for example, can benefit all three.
- Lose excess weight through a healthy diet and increased daily physical activity.
- Quit smoking. Despite not being included in this most recent study, smoking is one of the most significant risk factors for poor cardiometabolic health, as well as numerous types of cancer and other health issues. Your health care team can assist you in developing a strategy to quit smoking, which may include medication, or you can use the free tools on smokefree.gov.
Improving cardiometabolic health on your own might be challenging. Discuss with your physician what steps to take and how to effectively track your progress.
The conclusion
According to the conclusions of this study, few of us are doing enough to prevent the pain and death caused by heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiometabolic illnesses, particularly among certain groups. The good news is that a significant proportion of cardiometabolic disease risk is within our control. Therefore, let's roll up our sleeves and begin.
Havard health
